Maharashtra Tribal Development Minister Vishnu Savara today came under fire as MLAs cutting across party lines sought to know why no action was taken against the management of an ashram-shala in Nashik, despite several girl students giving complaints of sexual harassment.
Raising the issue during the question hour in the state Legislative Assembly, Congress MLAs Nirmala Gavit (Igatpuri), Aslam Sheikh (Malad-West), Amin Patel (Mumbadevi), D S Ahire (Sakri), Dr Sanotsh Tarfe (Kalamnuri), said they want to know why action has not been taken even as girls from the ashram-shala (residential school for tribal students) at Tillori village in Dindori taluka in Nashik lodged complaints of sexual harassment in June this year.
When the girls found that no action was being taken over their complaints, they and their parents even sat on a fast outside the Tribal Development Commissionerate for four days, the MLAs said.
Legislators Tara Singh (BJP) and Congress MLAs Prithviraj Chavan, Varsha Gaikwad, Gavit and members from other parties slammed Savara for not taking the complaints seriously.
Chavan said the government should conduct a "fair" probe.
Replying to the debate, Savara informed that a probe has already been conducted. He, however, declined that the girls and their parents had sat on agitation.
Following the direction from Speaker Haribhau Bagde, Sawara assured that a re-investigation into the complaints would be launched.
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